Backstory

The kingdom and city of Troy is also known as Wilusa, Ilos, and Ilium. Decades ago, in a series of predictions, the oracle at Delphi made it clear to King Priam of Troy and his family that their city would come to a point -- "in the ninth year after the Akhaeans come, to fetch home Helen, she of Myceneans queen" -- where Troy's survival or destruction would depend on one hero.

Many parts of the oracle's prophecies were obscure. It was, for instance, uncertain whether that hero's efforts to save Troy would succeed.

But it was exceedingly clear that if he fell in battle, Troy would be utterly lost.

This much, everyone in Troy knew.

But what young Prince Hektor of Troy kept to himself was . . . his fear that he was the one referred to.

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Some years later Priam's oldest son Paris seduced Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, the wife of King Menelaos of Sparte, and brought her to Troy. Menelaos roused his fellow Akhaean kings, and under the leadership of Menelaos' brother King Agamemnon of Argos, the Akhaeans declared war on Troy.

First the Akhaean kings attacked Troy's allies for ten years, destroying many of their cities.

Then they came, and laid siege to Troy itself.

It is the ninth year of that siege. It is the time referred to in the Delphic prophecy. Hektor has grown to maturity. Hektor has become the most formidable, dependable and powerful leader of Troy -- for some who fight with him, an inspiration -- against the vast besieging army of the Akhaeans.

For the Akhaean enemy has ten times the number of soldiers as the Trojans. Most are slaves. It is the end of winter. The Trojans are almost out of food. They have only their walls, their freedom -- and Hektor. But he has matured into a great, if erratic, leader. In repeated crises he has heroically fended off Troy's defeat.

But Hektor is superstitious and repressed. He is quarrelsome, egotistical and difficult. He is impatient to defeat the Akhaeans. He is inconsistent at communicating, and terrible in cooperating with others. He fiercely loves his family and country; he is trying to acquire the characteristics of character that the city requires -- and the supplies, and the allies; secretly, he recognizes his own inadequacies.

A former coward -- who only with extreme difficulty learned to bear the brunt of war without running away -- Hektor is certain that if he ever took the ultimate test of courage and character -- that is, if he fought the Akhaeans' horrible champion and greatest fighter, the terrible Akhilleus, the one man Hektor dreads, whose sight turns Hektor's legs to water -- Hektor would fall, and with his fall, bring about the downfall and ruin of all who, whether they know it or not, depend on Hektor's life.

The Play Begins

Hektor's sister Kassandra has nightmares, and, occasionally, terrible visions of the future. One night, when Troy's latest hope has been destroyed, she suddenly proclaims a detailed vision that, within three days, Hektor will plunge Troy into ruin. She paints a vivid picture of Troy's impending horrible destruction. She says Hektor, Hektor is the man on whom Troy's salvation rests. She says Troy's fall can only be prevented if Hektor can break through the web of her predictions.

Hektor is shocked. It is as if Kassandra knew his secret dread: his terrible fears about himself.

But aloud he ridicules her prophecies and goes ahead with the plan which has just been broached to him by his friend Aeneas: to become dictator of the city to save it.

This is the first thing Kassandra warned he would do.

Hektor's coup d'état seems to succeed at first, but its very success causes the calamities that Kassandra predicted, the ones Hektor had schemed to avoid: huge, immediate, explosive opposition from Antenor and the other aristocrats and people of the city; and the death of a dear brother. Several of the improbable things Kassandra predicted come true. Hektor realizes he must stop doing the things Kassandra foresaw. But he is unable to stop doing them; and, just as foreseen, they lead to mounting, terrible catastrophes.

Hektor is both noble and courageous. He tries to get a grip on his huge and superstitious fears. He vows to check his disastrous course. He swears to avoid all actions that Kassandra warned he would undertake.

At first, his efforts seem to succeed. Hektor grows encouraged . . . then boastful and arrogant.

Then at a thunderstroke all at once several of his careful plans collapse. Simultaneously, exactly as predicted, things turn about and the ruin of the city begins.

Hektor realizes that despite himself he did several more of the things Kassandra warned him against doing.

Hektor is forced to take the final action he has been warned against: fighting Akilleus. He arms, fights a masked enemy whom he believes to be Akilleus in Akilleus's armor, and kills the man. But when he exultantly strips off Akilleus's helmet, he discovers what we already knew: it is not Akilleus at all, but Akilleus' dearest friend Patroklus.

Hektor realizes that he has now brought about the last of Kassandra's predictions.

The outraged Akilleus appears suddenly, armed and terrible on the battlefield, and slaughters much of the Trojan army. Hektor knows he is responsible for the disaster. Things are in such a chaos that Hektor has no choice but to lure Akilleus himself away from Troy's gate to allow the Trojan army to escape into the city.

At this crucial moment, a rebellion breaks out in the city, led by Hektor's brother Helenus. Hektor is struck in the face with the flat of a sword and blinded.

We know that another of Kassandra's visions has been carried out. Now there is only Hektor's fight with Akilleus -- and Hektor's death -- to complete the cycle of Kassandra's visions and the city's destruction.

Hektor is now certain that he is about to die a failure, and that Troy will fall.

He orders himself armed in the armor of Akilleus that Patroklus had worn.

Blind, Hektor exits the city's gate and fights Akilleus.

While they fight, Hektor's brother Helenus, who has been watching Hektor's attempts, appears and attacks Akilleus. Akilleus kills Helenus. Hektor then wounds Akilleus.

Hektor enters the city wearing the new armor of Akilleus, and its masked helmet, as if Akilleus had won. He defeats the champions of the city. Then he unmasks.

It is clear to us that Hektor has broken through the web of predictions, yet in a manner consistent with them.

For becoming dictator by force, the popular leader Demos orders Hektor exiled for life from Troy. Hektor leaves his family, friends, and city behind, promising to return if needed.

T H E   E N D

Last modified: 12:17 PM 1/15/2003